The Dogpark
by rowaelinfeyrhys
Summary: Feyre is at the dog park one evening and she meets a stranger there. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Feyre POV**

Tying my shoelace, I grabbed the leash and locked the door to my boyfriend's lavish house. My energetic Siberian Husky, Artemis, started pulling me along. I jogged, glad to stretch my legs after a day of painting. We both jogged to the dog park where I let Artemis off her leash immediately so she could go play with the other dogs. After a few minutes, she came back and nosed my hand. None of her friends were here since I had lost myself in painting and we were later than usual; it was already approaching dusk. I threw a tennis ball for her until she got bored of that and trotted off to burn some energy and annoy the other dogs. I sat down with my sketchbook.

Eventually I realized it was getting dark, so I called Artemis back. I didn't see her shining fur anywhere. Sighing, I shoved my sketchbook back in my bag.

As I stood, a blur of black slammed into me, knocking me off my feet. For a terrifying moment, I thought I would hit the ground, but a pair of strong arms caught me halfway. They lifted me onto my feet where I turned around to thank the person who had saved me from a bad fall. I froze.

Facing me was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. He had deep violet eyes, dark blue black hair, and I couldn't help but notice that he was extremely muscular. He was also smirking at me.

He seemed extremely overconfident, but he had caught me, so I guess I should thank him. "Thank you for catching me," I finally said.

"No problem. It was kinda my responsibility," he replied.

Seeing the confused look on my face, he added, "It was my dog who rammed into you. His name is Whirlwind," the stranger said.

"Oh," I replied, turning my attention to the large Black Lab still bouncing around my legs. I crouched down level with Whirlwind, petting him as he nosed my hand. He was a pretty big dog and energetic too.

The stranger also crouched down next to me, using his dog's momentary distraction to clip a leash onto his collar. He glanced sideways at me.

"Whirlwind really likes you. He doesn't warm up to people quickly usually. You must be different."

I didn't know how to reply to that, so I was glad when he stood, sparing me from answering his observation. He held out a hand to help me up which I accepted, pulling myself to my feet. Glancing around, I spotted Artemis and called her again. This time she responded, running over to where I was. I clipped the leash on her collar. Artemis had noticed Whirlwind and was sniffing him suspiciously. Whirlwind stood still, letting her complete her evaluation. Artemis decided that he wasn't a threat and relaxed.

"Bye," I said to the stranger, giving Artemis's leash a small tug. I turned away, heading towards the gate to the dog park.

"Wait," the stranger said suddenly. I turned towards him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Feyre. Yours?"

"Rhysand. You can call me Rhys."

A smile curved my lips. "See you around, Rhys."

 **A/N: Hi. I kinda wanted to see what would happen if Feyrhys met at a dog park, so here it is. I'm not sure whether to have this be a one shot or to turn this into a multi-chapter story. Please review to tell me your thoughts.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi. So I decided to continue this story, but I changed my mind a bit. Feyre is with Tamlin right now because I am thinking of some directions for this to go right now. Also, I'm trying to make my chapters a little longer based on some feedback. Thank you to everyone who reviewed!**

 **Disclaimer: The characters are Sarah J. Maas'. I did make up the dogs though.**

I walked into the dog park, slightly later than my usual time. My gaze flew over the park, noting the dogs and their owners. I spotted a couple of Artemis' friends; she was already straining against her leash. Bending down, I unclipped her before she bounded off to play. I didn't see the dog or face I was looking for, so I slowed down and marked each one, checking that I hadn't missed it. That man, Rhys, and his dog Whirlwind weren't there. Something about them mystified me, the reason for my special interest. A young lady waved to me, snapping me out of my musings. Realizing that she was a fellow dog owner who I frequently chatted with, I started over to her.

"Hi Feyre!" the woman shouted.

I smiled, waving back, waiting until I was within a more reasonable distance to reply, "Hi Mor. What's up?"

Mor was a lively, fun-filled young woman in her 20s, only a year older than me. We got along well, out conversation filled with pleasant banter and teasing. However, she had such a warm, approachable personality that I found myself confiding in her sometimes. Her Australian Shepherd, Faye, was the most energetic puppy in the park. She was always chasing the other dogs, or pouncing on them. If none of them were in the mood to play, she would capture the heart of the nearest dog owner when she bumped into them, jumping and twirling for attention.

Soon, I was roaring with laughter as Mor told a story, complete with acting and sound effects. Because of this, it was no wonder that I didn't hear him approach until he had come up directly behind me.

 **Rhys POV**

I had gotten to the dog park a little earlier than usual, trying to catch a little time with my cousin. As soon as I stepped inside and let Whirlwind off his leash, I tried to find that bright, blond head. I saw her wildly acting out a story to a woman who looked like Feyre. Looking back at Whirlwind, I realized that he was playing with Artemis and Faye, so that is Feyre who my cousin is talking with. I wasn't sure if I should be nervous, or happy that I was meeting her again. _Snap out of it Rhys, you're amazing with women_. With that thought, I sauntered over.

I paused a few yards away. She hadn't seen me yet as she was laughing. She was beautiful, especially when she was open and joyful as she was now. I involuntarily smiled as I continued towards her and Mor.

I stopped right behind Feyre. Neither she nor Mor had noticed my presence. I adjusted my face into my signature smirk before announcing my presence.

 **Feyre POV**

"Good evening," a voice drawled from behind me.

Startled, I spun around, coming face to face with the man from the other day, Rhys. He was smirking at me. So I was right about the overconfidence. Determined to bring him down a few notches, I replied, "Is it?"

His smirk dissolved into a face of confusion, then alarm, then confusion before settling on bland indifference with a hint of amusement.

"Wow, by looking at everything that just went over your face just now, you would think that my opinion mattered to you," I continued, trying to bait him.

"Been watching me rather closely, haven't you Feyre darling?"

Heat started gathering in my cheeks before I banished it, replying "Why would I do something like that?"

"Maybe you like me," came the answer.

I scoffed. "You wish. Not likely. I have a boyfriend." I watched his face as he processed this information. I would have thought that it didn't affect him at all, except that I caught a flash of emotion in his stunning eyes before he schooled those, along with the rest of his face, into indifference.

Mor had been watching our exchange, eyes flitting between us as if trying to figure out what bond lay between us, how we knew each other. "I see you've met my cousin," she commented wryly.

"Cousin?" was my response.

"In terms of blood relations we are cousins in the loosest definition, but we are as close as siblings," Rhys responded.

Mor looked back at me, then shot Rhys a quick, questioning look. He also glanced at me, then back at her, tilting his head as if to say, _I'll explain later_.

"So how do you two know each other?" Mor asked quickly.

"I might ask you the same cousin," Rhys said.

Mor shot him a withering look.

I jumped in to keep the peace. "Rhys and I met here the other evening when Whirlwind knocked me over," I directed towards Mor before turning to look at Rhys and adding, "and Faye and Artemis are good friends. We try and coordinate times so that they can play together. I found out that Mor is good company and we find that we enjoy talking to each other."

"Speak for yourself," Mor said, her eyes twinkling.

I shot her a fake contemptuous look before she burst out laughing and slung an arm over my shoulder.

 **Also, I wasn't planning to put Mor in so soon, but it kind of happened. Please review to let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me, but to Sarah J. Maas. The dogs however, I did make up.**

 **Feyre POV**

It had been about two weeks since that initial meeting with Rhys. I found myself heading to the dog park closer and closer to dusk, later than my usual time. I told myself that this was to accommodate for my busy schedule, not to see Rhys. He confused me, and also interested me for some reason.

I did see him there, almost every day. Artemis got along quite well with Whirlwind, who still greeted me enthusiastically every time he saw me.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the door opened and Tamlin peeked in.

"Feyre, you might want to get ready soon, we're leaving in an hour," he said, eyes scanning my paint splattered form before landing on my painting. It was an impressionistic piece of the dog park, meant to show the energy and life there as opposed to being a realistic rendering of the dogs. Artemis, Whirlwind, and Faye were front and center. Tamlin smiled at me before gently shutting the door.

 **Rhys POV**

Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders before striding confidently into the skyscraper. There was a huge business party this evening that I couldn't wiggle out of as part of the Prythian partnership. I was the head of the Night Court, one of the largest businesses in the partnership. I immediately spotted some acquaintances who I nodded to. Realizing that I was expected to talk to some of them, I chose to start with Helion, the head of the Day Court.

We shook hands and started talking. Helion was one of the less tedious ones. He was lively, energetic and often said things that would be frowned upon by others in the partnership. This made me enjoy his company that much more. After Helion, I made small talk with Thesan, head of the Dawn Court.

How much longer would this dull party continue? I knew it would be go on well into the night, and I hoped that I found someone interesting to talk with. I had to greet all the heads of the courts, and since neither Spring nor Autumn were here, I went up to Tarquin, head of the Summer Court.

I was growing bored of Tarquin's polite conversation when I heard someone call out "Tamlin!" Tamlin was the head of the Spring Court. Tamlin and I disliked each other mutually, and I only hated Beron, of the Autumn Court, more than Tamlin. Greet him quickly and get it over with, I told myself.

Sighing, I turn to find him. My eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on Tamlin near the entrance. I froze. There was a familiar looking woman with him.

I excused myself from Tarquin's company and ambled over to see if it was indeed the woman who haunted my thoughts, whose laugh rang in my ears even after she had left. As I neared Tamlin and the woman, I slowed my steps.

It was Feyre. It was Feyre, with a bland smile on her face. It was Feyre, in a floor length, pale pink dress with gold and pearl jewelry instead of a t-shirt and jeans splattered with paint. It was Feyre, with her hair up in a fancy twist instead of a loose ponytail. It was Feyre, clutching Tamlin's arm.

It was Feyre, yet she was different from when she was at the dog park. There she was wild and youthful, energetic and bold. Here she seemed fake.

She was with Tamlin. It hit me. She was with Tamlin.

Pushing the thought away, I strolled over to say hello and to see if she was acting like a perfect doll right now.

 **Feyre POV**

I clutched Tamlin's arm as we walked into the party. This was some business party that Tamlin had to go to. He hadn't really explained more than that. I didn't like having lots of people stare at me, but hopefully it would be over soon.

As soon as we entered the large space housing a dance floor, bar, and tables, someone called out Tamlin's name. I internally sighed. This was going to be a long night. Tamlin steered us over to one of his acquaintances whose name I promptly forgot. I tuned out their small talk, trying not to look bored already.

"Hello, Feyre darling," said a familiar voice from behind. My stomach sunk. What was he doing here? I did not want to be present for the meeting between Tamlin and Rhys, especially after the way Rhys had phrased his greeting.

Taking a deep breath to try and brace myself for the next few minutes, I prepared to turn around. However, I didn't have to as Tamlin spun us both around suddenly. I stumbled because of my heels, tripping over the long skirt of my dress.

I fell into the arms that Rhys had extended to catch me. Concern was apparent on Rhys' face as he looked down at me. "Careful TamTam," Rhys said to Tamlin, barely glancing up at him. His focus was on my face as I smiled at the name he had chosen to address Tamlin with.

"Rhysand," Tamlin said with a growl.

"Are you okay?" Rhys asked me, ignoring Tamlin completely. I nodded. He made to stand me up on my feet. At this, Tamlin seemed to come back to himself.

Tamlin grabbed me, pulling me into his side. His arm lay protectively around my shoulders. This confrontation would be absolutely wonderful. The sarcasm helped me come back to myself. I predicted that Tamlin would start by lashing out at Rhys in 3..2..1..

"What do you mean Feyre darling?! She's not yours!" Tamlin burst out as I internally smiled at the accuracy of my prediction, trying not to think about his words too hard.

Rhys simply put his hands in his pockets and I wondered at the unperturbed look on his face as Tamlin shouted at him. A smile played on the corners of his lips. "Well, she doesn't seem to be yours either," Rhys finally said in a calm, almost amused voice. He seemed to enjoy the incredulous look on Tamlin's face. "As far as I've seen, Feyre is her own person," Rhys continued.

"How do you know Feyre?! What did you do to her?!" Tamlin's head was whipping back and forth between me and Rhys.

I decided to step in before this got any uglier. Already, people were looking at us, and more were turning to see why Tamlin had raised his voice. "Tamlin, he didn't do anything to me. We met at the dog park the other day when I took Artemis for a walk. He was there with his dog too." Then too distract him with a question I asked, "How do you and Rhys know each other?"

"Rhys? You two are friendly enough to call him Rhys?" Tamlin asked with mock curiosity, violence layered through every word he said. Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths.

Luckily for me and my fraying patience, Rhys stepped in. "Yes, she is. I asked her too. Rhysand sounds so stiff and formal," he said smoothly. He turned to me and said, "Your dear Tamlin is the head of the Spring Court, and I am the head of the Night Court, both part of the Prythian Partnership. That's what this party is for, the Prythian Partnership." He seemed to be considering before adding "Both our courts have … tenuous… ties." He gave me a warm smile before turning his attention to Tamlin. "So, how have you been Tamlin?" Rhys asked with fake politeness. I couldn't tell if it was a threat or not.

"I've been well, Rhys, thank you for asking. I hope you're also doing well." Tamlin said, finally having mastered himself. This time no one pretended it was anything but a threat.

With that, Tamlin dragged me to the bar, and Rhys had enough sense not to follow. The remainder of the evening was spent trying not to look bored as Tamlin chatted with acquaintances, steering us away from Rhys whenever he was within fifteen feet of us.

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it really motivates me. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often because summer break!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't know if I have to do these every chapter, but I'll do one anyways. The characters, excluding the dogs, still belong to Sarah J. Maas.**

I reached down to tie my sneakers as my phone buzzed. I picked it up, trying to keep Artemis under control with one hand. It was Mor texting me.

Mor: _Hurry up Feyre! Why aren't u at the dog park yet? R u ever on time anywhere?_

Feyre: _Mor, patience is a virtue. Ik u don't have any, but you could at least try._

Feyre: _I'll b there soon._

Smiling, I tucked my phone in a pocket and grabbed some bags, stowing those away too. As I reached for the door, Tamlin strode into the entry area.

"Where are you going, Feyre?" he asked innocently.

"I'm taking Artemis for a walk to the dog park," I asked slightly suspiciously.

"You aren't allowed to go to the dog park anymore," Tamlin informed me.

"Why not?" was my pinched response.

His face softened. "I don't want you to get hurt," he answered almost tenderly.

"How would I get hurt?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice level. I was not an object that he could command and guard, I was a person, my own person.

"I don't want you interacting with trash like Rhysand," he spit out the name as if it tasted bad. "Do you know that Rhysand has been pressed with murder charges and has a certain way of … influencing people," he finished uncomfortably.

I was shocked to hear that the kind, mischievous man from the dog park had been pressed with murder charges. "Okay, I won't take Artemis to the dog park, but I'm going to take her walking around the neighborhood," I told Tamlin, looking him in the eye.

"I don't want you going outside the house. I didn't even know that you were in danger last time, I don't want that happening again," he said with a finality that had me gritting my teeth.

"What danger?"

"I told you, Rhysand is dangerous. Talking to him, interacting with him. He could have played with your mind, with your emotions!"

It all sounded like nonsense to me, but I nodded my head, determined to get out of this suffocating house. I gave Tamlin a pinched smile as he kissed my forehead and told me he had to go to a meeting. I watched him stride out the door.

As soon as he drove off, I tried the door to find that he had locked it from the outside. He had locked me in the house. I kicked the door, trying to keep my tears at bay. I was claustrophobic, and the thought of being trapped in the house scared me more than I wanted to admit.

My phone beeped twice and I wiped at my eyes many times before I was able to make out the words through my blurred vision. Mor was wondering why I wasn't at the dog park yet. This threw me into a farther state of panic. I texted her back my hands shook so violently that I only managed to send a few hysterical phrases.

Mor: _Where r u feyre?_

Feyre: _Tamlin. Can't come._

Mor: _Wait what?_

Feyre: _Tamlin said I can't go outside. He locked me in the house._

Mor: _Stay calm. I'm coming to get you. What's your address?_

Feyre: _1674 Rose avenue_

Mor: _I'm on my way. Deep breaths._

I wondered what I'd done to deserve a friend who came for me immediately. The thought calmed me slightly, but nausea overtook me again as I thought of Tamlin and the house I was trapped in. I curled up on the floor, clutching my knees, trying to breathe.

Artemis stood over me. She nosed my neck. When I didn't reply, she licked my ear. Sensing that something was wrong as I didn't move, she barked. She seemed thoroughly alarmed at my state. She stood guard over me, barking with fervor now. Even that couldn't pull me from my frozen state. Shock and betrayal paralysed me.

It could have been seconds, minutes, or hours that I stayed curled up until an impatient knock sounded on the front door. It echoed through the house, but I didn't have enough energy to answer it. Someone swore on the other side before I heard a click.

The door swung open and I could only make out the blurry outline of a woman. I heard Mor's voice, trying to sooth Artemis. Mor slid Artemis' leash onto her arm before picking me up. "Come on Feyre, let's get out of here," Mor said assertively before I felt her walk towards the open front door.

I tried to ask where we were going, but I wasn't able too. I felt her walk over the gravel path. Another voice, male this time, swore, then opened a door. Mor laid me down on some soft seat and someone slid in behind me. I heard the car doors slam shut and I started thrashing again, I wouldn't be trapped.

"It's okay Feyre, you're free now. We're just taking you back to my house. You're free," a deep voice said to me softly. It was a soothing, low voice that made me calm down immediately. A hand stroked my hair, brushing it off my face. "Just breath," the voice, Rhysand's voice, continued. I took a deep breath. After about ten minutes, the car stopped.

Rhys picked me up gently and carried me inside a building where I was met by barking. "Not now Whirlwind," Rhys said to him. Whirlwind immediately fell silent.

A sudden weariness overtook me as Rhys mounted a staircase. I was eventually laid on something soft and warm, a bed I'm assuming.

I saw a flash of silver dart into the room, then settle onto the bed beside me. Artemis licked my face once and I gave her a weak smile. I looked up at Rhys whose concerned face swam in my vision. "Thank you," I rasped. Then I fell asleep, violet eyes filled with worry my last memory.

 **A/N: Hi everyone! Just in case it wasn't clear, the italics are texting conversations, and Mor picked the lock to Tamlin's house since no one has magic unfortunately. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Please review to let me know what you think. Have a great day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to the wonderful Sarah J. Maas.**

I woke up in an unfamiliar place, the only thing that looked familiar was Artemis, laying half on top of me. I groaned and Artemis immediately stood up and started licking my face. Another person was in the room and had approached the bed at my awakening, but I couldn't see who it was because Artemis was on top of me. "Down girl," Rhys' voice said as he pulled Artemis off of me with great difficulty.

At that moment, a blur of black shot into the room. Whirlwind started licking my face. "My goodness!" Rhys shouted, pulling Whirlwind off of me as well. Naturally, Artemis took the opportunity to jump back on the bed.

"You two are impossible," Rhys bellowed. I giggled as he removed both dogs from the room with great difficulty. He shut and locked the door to prevent them from coming back in. Sighing, he returned back to his chair by the side of the bed. His hair was tousled, his clothes wrinkled, and he looked exhausted, but there was a gentle smile on his face.

"How are you feeling?" He asked me.

"I'm fine, by maybe I should be asking you that question," I replied with a smirk.

He rolled his eyes but said, "Glad to see you're back in your normal spirits."

The doorbell rung, so Rhys said, "why don't you shower and I'll answer that, and then we can order takeout or go for dinner. We could also go to the dog park in between if you're feeling up to it because Artemis seems antsy."

"Okay, but I don't have any other clothes," I realized.

"As much as I like the idea of you not having on clothes," he started as I gave him a vulgar gesture, "Mor's bringing over something of hers for you too wear until you get new ones."

The doorbell rang again. "That's probably her. I'll have her bring them up." He stood up to leave, letting Artemis back in. Whirlwind had gone downstairs to bark at the door.

I strode down the stairs half an hour later, clad in skinny jeans and a loose shirt, hair up in a ponytail. I had been trying to keep my mind off of Tamlin my entire shower, singing to keep my thoughts at bay.

I followed Mor's voice to what I assumed was a living room. I had only expected to see Rhys and Mor there, so I froze when I saw three new people.

There were two handsome males who looked like Rhys with their dark hair, golden skin, and muscled forms, except with hazel eyes instead of the stunning violet. One of them, who was grinning at me, had rougher hewn features, the other, with a more classic handsomeness. The wild one who had been grinning moved to shake my hand.

"I'm Cassian, you must be Feyre," he said. I tried to nod. He winked at me, "it's okay, many people become speechless in my presence."

The other male shook his head and moved towards me, though he seemed more inclined to fade into the shadows and avoid talking to anyone. He stuck out his hand and as I shook it, I noticed horrific burns covering his hands. "I'm Azriel. Excuse Cassian, one of his talents is pissing everyone off," he said in a smooth, quiet voice as Cassian winked at me again. Azriel was much less outgoing than Cassian.

I turned my attention to the third new person, a terrifying female. She seemed completely at ease, but radiated a certain stillness and had a large presence. She smirked at me before shaking my hand, simply saying "I'm Amren," as if that explained everything I needed to know. She was short - shorter than me - and possessed eerie silver eyes.

Rhys had been monitoring these interactions carefully. I turned to him and lifted an eyebrow. He shook his head as if to say that he would explain later. "So, what do you feel like doing?" he directed the question at me. At that moment, Artemis and Whirlwind tore through the living room, Artemis on Whirlwind's tail as they chased each other. They darted into what I assumed was a dining room and I heard a crash. Rhys sighed, then smiled.

"Why don't we go to the dog park?" I asked, offering a shy smile of my own.

"Sounds good," chirped Mor, clapping her hands impatiently as though to get us moving. "By the way Rhys, Faye, Shadow, and Storm are in the backyard," Mor said casually.

Rhys' eyes widened before relaxing. He drawled, "Well, Whirlwind has already wrecked the yard." He looked at Amren, "Is Terror coming with us?"

Amren rolled her eyes, "Of course not. You know that he doesn't get along with the rest of the dogs."

Rhys shrugged and strode off the way that Whirlwind and Artemis had gone. The rest of us followed him. He rolled back a sliding glass door that had been partially open and we stepped outside and surveyed the damage.

There was barely any grass left on the lawn, most of it was dirt pitted with shallow holes. The plants around the edge had been trampled and the trees had scratch marks. Bits of chewed stick, tennis balls, and leaves littered the ground. Quite frankly, it looked like a hurricane had hit the yard.

The hurricane started barking even louder than before and sprinted towards us. The five dogs had various levels of dirt streaked through their fur and they were all panting as they stood in front of us. There were two unfamiliar dogs standing with Faye, Whirlwind, and Artemis. I assumed that they were Storm and Shadow. Cassian and Azriel whistled and the two dogs trotted to them obediently.

"Go ahead and meet their dogs," Rhys said into my ear, causing me to jump away, startled. I glared at him as he chuckled. I stepped forward towards them and they both held their dogs by their collars. Storm and Shadow strained against the holds of their owners as I approached them.

"Don't worry Feyre, we won't let them bite you," Cassian said with a smirk, "they're just extremely energetic and also kind of large, so we don't want anyone to get knocked over in their excitement." Cassian winked at me in a way that suggested that he knew how Rhys and I had met. I scowled at him before letting his Bernese Mountain Dog sniff my hand. "Her name is Storm," he said, fondly looking at his lively companion.

I turned to Azriel's Portuguese Water Dog. "You must be Shadow," I said to the calm but powerful dog. He barked once in confirmation and I smiled. By this time, Rhys and Mor had managed to get Artemis, Whirlwind, and Faye on leashes.

Rhys handed Artemis' leash to me and I kneeled down to give her a big hug as she licked my face. I stood up and faced the rest of them. Rhys had been looking at me and Artemis fondly, but he wiped that look off his face as soon a turned to look at him. He put on his usual bored and amused face.

We all started walking towards the dog park. I turned to Amren, "Who's Terror?" She smirked at me, infinitely bored. "Terror is my Manchester Terrier. He's fierce and doesn't get along with other dogs." I nodded, then pulled Artemis away from a dead squirrel she was sniffing. Amren had taken out her phone and was talking to someone, threatening them more like, and Cassian, Azriel, and Mor were walking ahead of us, chatting together.

This left me and Rhys to talk together. I suddenly remembered what Tamlin had said about Rhys and tried speeding up a bit. Rhys matched my pace smirking. "You seem uncomfortable, Feyre darling," he drawled. I tried shaking my head, but fear had gripped me again.

I decided to be direct. "Are you going to hurt me?" I asked. It came out weaker than I had intended. He stopped walking completely and his face hardened. "Of course not. Why would you think…" he trailed off. "What did Tamlin say about me?" he asked in a carefully emotionless voice. I looked into his eyes. Anger, confusion and… hurt, swirled in his eyes. He carefully schooled his eyes into blankness as well.

"He said that you messed with people's minds, played with their emotions, and that you're a … murderer," I got quieter with each word. Rhys simply nodded, jaw tight. I threw him a sideways glance after a few minutes of silence. He noted the look and explained himself.

"You should know that Tamlin and I don't get along, at all. My dad and his dad," he paused, took a deep breath, then continued, "they knew each other. They were rivals and Tamlin and his father were … responsible for the death of my mother and sister." Tamlin, Tamlin had killed Rhys' family. "My father, decided to take revenge. He tried to ruin them in their business, but he wasn't very smart about it. Eventually, he tried to kill Tamlin's family. I was too late to save Tamlin's mother, but I managed to save Tamlin. I delayed the my father enough that he figured out what was happening. He shot my father. I ran and he didn't come after me." He took a deep breath. "Naturally, we have hate each other, what with his family killing mine, mine taking revenge on his," he shrugged, then put his free hand in his pockets.

I didn't know what to say. That hardly seemed like a fair accusation on Tamlin's part. By that logic, Tamlin was a murderer as well. The new information swirled around in my head as I tried to fit it with what I already knew.

Rhys looked at me sideways, as if he could see the struggle in my mind. "I'm also known to be extremely persuasive, so many people say that I can control minds. It's just persuasion." I nodded. My mind was still whirling. We fell into silence, Rhys letting me think about everything I had just learned. He would not try and form my opinions for me, he would just give me the information I needed. Not like Tamlin had done. He had tried to control my opinions. I made more connections, more comparisons. My mind reeled. It was almost too much, so I was glad when we reached the dog park.

There were only two other dogs there, so we had a sizable area to ourselves. The dogs immediately started chasing each other, kicking up clouds of dust. Mor chatted with me about everything and anything just like the old days. Eventually, Artemis, Shadow, and Whirlwind trotted towards us with tennis balls in their mouths. We took turns throwing, making it a competition of who could throw it farthest. Eventually, Cassian came out as the winner which resulted in round after round of bragging.

After about fifteen minutes, Cassian suggested a game of tag. The other two dogs had left, so we had the whole dog park area available for our game. The rules were that if you were tagged, you were frozen in place until another person on your team tagged you back in. It was Cassian and Azriel against Mor, Rhys, and I because Amren refused to play, instead choosing to record "blackmail material" as she put it.

"Should we be worried?" I had whispered to Mor when she had declared that. She looked at my mock scared face and laughed. "Actually, this is pretty normal Amren behavior." When Cassian had suggested it, Mor, Rhys and I had immediately protested, but Cassian had persuaded us. I wanted to take my mind off of Tamlin anyway, so I reluctantly agreed after a few minutes.

We started and I was tagged by Azriel almost immediately. Where did he come from? Mor laughed and untagged me. After ten more minutes of this, we were all panting and had stopped the game, declaring it a tie. Laughing for the first time in a while, I walked out of the park with this group of people I somehow already felt comfortable with.

 **A/N: Hi. This chapter ended up being really long because I didn't know how to split it. I don't like my writing in this one as much, but we meet the Inner Circle and their dogs! Let me know what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Sarah J Maas.**

After dropping the dogs home and cleaning up a bit, we all piled into Rhys' elegant cars, having to take two to get everyone to the restaurant. After a short drive, we pulled up to a small but bright building in a part of the city I hadn't been too. It seemed clean and lively. I gaped at the people strolling leisurely through the streets, the buildings which seemed bright and cheerful. How had I never been here before?

"This section of the city is … more hidden. It's more secluded from the rest. I come here often." Rhys said into my ear, startling me. Indeed, people seemed to know Rhys, Mor, and the others, calling out greetings to them as we started walking inside.

Inside, the restaurant was full of laughing, chattering people. We were led to a private room in the back, whether it was because of our group size or at Rhys' request, I didn't know. After a few minutes, the wine came out, and we started talking. I didn't quite understand who all these people were. Were they friends, family, or acquaintances of Rhys'?

"How do you all know each other?" I asked slowly. Mor answered me. "Well, we all work at the Night Court. You probably know that Rhys is the CEO. I'm the CFO, Cass is the CTO, Az is the CIO, and Amren is the COO." Seeing my blank look she laughed and said, "I know, it's a lot of COs." She looked at Rhys as if to ask if she should tell me something.

Rhys picked up, apparently deciding to tell me. "These are our official positions in the Night Court. The Night Court has been known the be cunning, shrewd and is known cheat and lie. We are known to be sly people who take advantage of others in order to further our own business. Quite frankly, the Night Court is looked down upon." He paused, looking at me for comprehension.

The pieces clicked in my mind. "But it's all a ruse?" I asked, unsure. He smiled. "Correct. We actually run a … spy agency of sorts. It's called Veralis. We look into shady business dealings and work on stopping them, though not always the legal way," he said smiling slyly before continuing. "A lot of times these business dealings block positive efforts from individuals from getting through. For example, the crime rate in the neighborhood we're in right now was through the roof because a crime lord was in power. We found out who was funding him and also that it was an illegal deal. We shut it down and then helped a little further by funding some growing businesses in the area." He paused, letting me take in all the new information before continuing. "So we work on removing political obstacles from good programs that work on education, clean energy, environmentalism, or whatever. Sometimes we just remove the political obstacle or the dealings, but sometimes we continue and help the cause grow by funding them. Sometimes, the businesses have no connection to a public program but need to be stopped before they can grow. That's what Velaris does. I'm the head, Amren is second of sorts, doer of a lot of the dirty work. Mor is the third and holds it all together, organization, communication and such. Azriel is spymaster. He gathers the information, spies on the businesses, government and such. Cassian manages the workers, does a lot of the 'fighting' I guess you might as well call it. He is often the one to go in with a force and stop them. These are the jobs we spend more time on. The Night Court kind of runs itself. We work for Velaris, trying to better the world and such. It sounds corny, but it's not," he added as an afterthought, smile twitching on his lips. "I know it sounds cliche too."

He turned to the others, "We need to work on the description speech." Cassian snorted and Azriel chuckled replying, "That's not very high on the priority list right now Rhys." I smiled as well.

Rhys turned back to me. "The million dollar question is, do you want to be a part of it?"

I sat there open mouthed. When I got my voice back, I asked, "But what could I do, I'm not… I can't do anything helpful."

"Of course you can."

Rhys started explaining their newest 'mission'. "There is a huge business that rivals the Prythian Partnership called Hybern. They went quiet recently. Az found out that it's because the head of Hybern, called Hybern, has been chasing after a file that holds sensitive information. He could potentially blackmail the government officials using the information. We aren't certain if he has the file yet. We need to stop him before he gets it or does anything destructive with it."

The table went quiet around me as we all turned our attention to our food as I thought about what he had said.

Rhys turned to me and asked finally "Are you in?"

Amren, Mor, Cassian, and Azriel had stopped eating to watch us. I made eye contact with each of them before turning back to Rhys. "I'm in."

 **A/N: Hi! I'm not dead! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a really long time, but I kind of lost inspiration for this story. I have writer's block but this chapter had been sitting around partially finished for a while, so I thought I should post it. I probably won't post for a while, definitely not before I get over writer's block. Also, I have no idea where this is going and I don't want it to be cliche, so I'm going to try and find a direction for it. This means I will not be posting soon. Sorry. Please let me know if you have an idea for this story. Thanks!**


	7. AN

**Hi everyone,**

 **Sorry if you thought that this is another chapter. I just wanted to let you know that I am feeling extremely uninspired about this story. Once I figure out where this is going, I might continue, but for now, I am putting this on temporary hiatus. Let me know if you have any suggestions for where this story should go.**

 **Thanks,**

 **rowaelinfeyrhys**


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